Des Moines, Iowa, 1958

Traipsing up and down East Locust Street in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, on Google’s Street View shows that few, if any, of the buildings in the Charles Cushman shot above – taken at 2:27 p.m. (or possibly 12:27 p.m.) on August 31, 1958 – still stand. The signs all seem a little less colorful nowadays too, and I can’t see a single car along the street nowadays with a white painted roof. Carspotters, what do you see here?

Pete Madsensays:

October 13, 2011 1:29 pm

I went to Grand View College in Des Moines from 1956-58 so that scene’s somewhat familiar to me. There’s certainly a majority of GM cars in that shot. Fairly rare 58 Plymouth wagon though, and a 55 and a 58 Ford across the street from it.

October 13, 2011 3:36 pm

Kit Fostersays:

October 13, 2011 4:36 pm

Bill Dikissays:

October 13, 2011 2:41 pm

To be wholly correct, this is actually West Locust at 10th St., and it is unrecognizable today with many terrific new features. But in the far distance is indeed E. Locust and the beautiful Iowa State Capitol (1871-1886) which I have had the pleasure of serving as its restoration architect from 1981 to 2005.

I just used this photo and several others from this series in a lecture presented to assist a Master of Public Adminstration class at Drake University, discussing community development and changes in Des Moines over the years.

john from Staffssays:

October 13, 2011 5:15 pm

Robert Cunninghamsays:

October 13, 2011 4:17 pm

Many memories for me in this photo. The tall, gray structure on the left is The Des Moines Register and Tribune building. I began working there in 1977 as a college intern and remained until 1989. The first full uncropped window near the top of the photo…the window immediately above the foreground street lamp…was my corner office. From there, I had an unobstructed view west down Locust Street, up the hill beyond Tech High School, to the waving flag atop the governor’s mansion (all at the photographer’s back). The buildings directly across the street from The Register were torn down in the early 1980s and replaced with the Locust Street Mall parking ramp, from which I witnessed an unfortunate jumper’s final moments. On the lighter side, I enjoyed watching rain storms — curtains of water — march up the dry street to catch unsuspecting shoppers by surprise; they scattered like ants under a garden hose. Today, few pedestrians take to the sidewalks, as we now traverse downtown at the second-floor level. As a result, this street-level view of the Capitol is now impossible, as it is obstructed by a series of enclosed “skywalk” bridges.

Clint Eckermansays:

March 3, 2014 2:09 am

I grew up and still to this day live in Des Moines. The 50’s is way before my time but unless there have been more than one jumper from that location my mother and brother witnessed it as well. She was an employee at the DSM Register.

Art Finksays:

October 13, 2011 5:01 pm

Gregsays:

October 13, 2011 9:49 pm

Issue 1: “…I can’t see a single car along the street nowadays with a white painted roof. ”

So you never see MINI Coopers on the street? Both our red MINI and green MINI have white roofs. In fact, the most popular MINI Cooper podcast is called ‘White Roof Radio’.

Issue 2: There is a great Facebook page called ‘Lost Des Moines’ — check it out if you are interested in Des Moines history.

Issue 3: I received my MPA from Drake — would have loved to seen your presentation, Mr Dikis.

Issue 4: Trivia for those trying to read the time of day by the shadows (and not the clock, which we aren’t sure we can fully read)– Grand Avenue at this point does not run due East/West. Downtown DSM is set to ‘river north’, which is more like North-Northwest. So this is looking roughly East-Northeast.

Daniel Strohlsays:

October 14, 2011 6:59 am

Sam Elbertsays:

October 14, 2011 5:01 pm

Grew up in Des Moines. This was the view every teen saw on Sat. nights “scooping the loop”. We’d go down Locust to 4th ,turn left and back west on Grand Ave . You would go all the way to 17th Str. go back to Locust and do another lap.

Kent Carlsonsays:

October 16, 2011 11:13 am

There is a Facebook page called “Lost Des Moines” that has over 2500 photos of Des Moines before “progress” wiped out dozens of theaters, fantastic hotels, the Federal Courthouse, beautiful homes and a hundreds examples of period architecture. Many of the photos include some great old vehicles of the era. In invite you to check it out.